Christians who esaped ISIL hell in Iraq jailed as illegal aliens in California

A Middle Eastern Christian community has demanded that immigration officials release 20 Iraqi Christian refugees being held at a detention center in California. …

Mark Arabo, a spokesmen for the Chaldean community speaks to a reporter in Southern California, July 2015.

“It is important to understand that the State Department ended all processing for religious minorities out of Iraq, so there is no legal way for an individual to come from Iraq to the U.S.,” said Mark Arabo, a spokesman for the San Diego area Chaldean community. ….

“We want answers, and we want to know that their detention is not indefinite. These Christians have escaped the wrath of ISIS, only to be imprisoned by ICE. Something about this is not right,” said Arabo.

Since the rise of ISIS in northern Iraq, an estimated 100,000 individuals have fled the nation, with many attempting to come to the United States for safety.

ICE officials have said that they lack the resources to keep up with the backlog of cases regarding individuals immigrating to the United States. … The 20 Chaldean Christians detained at Otay have been at the facility for nearly five months after officials caught them crossing at the southern border without proper documentation.